Corona Virus Allegedly Spread From Water Pipes In Hong Kong

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Dozens of people from an apartment complex in Hong Kong had to be quarantined after it was feared that they had the corona virus (2019-nCoV / Wuhan Flu). The virus is thought to have spread through the water pipes of the apartment buildings.

Hong Kong authorities evacuated and quarantined dozens of residents of the apartment after two people living on different floors tested positive for the coronavirus. This was said directly by the Hong Kong authorities.

Reporting from the New York Times, Tuesday, February 11, the two victims of the corona virus raised speculation that it seems that now the corona virus has spread from a water pipe.

Authorities from the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection said the decision to evacuate most of the residents of the apartment came after the discovery of an uncovered bathroom pipe in the apartment of a person who was recently confirmed to have the virus.

This person is a 62-year-old woman who lives 10 floors below an apartment resident who was previously also known to be positive for the corona virus.

"Our initial understanding was that apartment owners might be doing some renovation work," said Frank Chan, Hong Kong Secretary for Transport and Housing.

Frank Chan also denied that the recent cases are comparable to the SARS outbreak in 2003, which can also be transmitted from water pipes. In the previous case, the pipes were outside the building and the SARS virus was spreading through the air.

In addition to apartment residents infected with the corona virus, four other people living in three different units showed symptoms of the corona virus. This was conveyed by Hong Kong Health Secretary Sophia Chan.

In total, the quarantine was carried out for residents of the 23 units of Hong Mei House, an apartment building in a public housing block Cheung Hong Estate.

At a meeting organized by the Hong Kong Government on Tuesday 11 February, Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, said the situation this time appeared to be different from SARS. But he said authorities also should not rule out the possibility of airborne transmission of the virus.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said determining what happened at the apartment complex was "very important" and ordered further investigations.

The coronavirus outbreak sparked comparisons with an incident in 2003 when 329 residential residents in Hong Kong were infected with SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. The virus was later found to be spreading through the damaged pipe. A total of 42 residents infected with SARS died.

According to monitoring gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com, Hong Kong itself has confirmed 42 cases of the corona virus. While the total cases of the corona virus in the world were 43,112 and 4,135 people were reported to have recovered from the virus.